WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2026 – With eight out of 10 healthcare dollars in the U.S. spent on preventable chronic diseases and as the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize fruits and vegetables as a foundational part of a healthful diet, the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) applauds the introduction of the bipartisan Produce Prescription for Veterans Act by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and Chellie Pingree, D-Maine. The legislation aligns with IFPA’s nutrition policy priority to embed produce prescriptions as standard practice of clinical care, including within the Veterans Health Administration.
“Today’s legislation takes a pivotal step forward in integrating fruits and vegetables into healthcare at scale. After years of successful pilots, we know produce prescriptions work,” said IFPA CEO Cathy Burns. “IFPA and our members are deeply grateful to Senator Durbin and Representatives Buchanan and Pingree for their leadership in bringing this bill forward and for recognizing the critical role fruits and vegetables play in addressing chronic disease. By incorporating this program into the standards of clinical care for the Veterans Health Administration, the results could be transformational for the health of those who have served our nation.”
Produce prescriptions have not only shown to lower HbA1c, BMI, and blood pressure, research has found that these interventions in Medicaid have lowered hospitalization rates and reduced healthcare spending by an average of $1,700 per patient annually – making a strong case for extending to VHA.
IFPA has been deeply engaged in advancing produce prescriptions as a public policy priority for years through its collaborations with the National Produce Prescription Collaborative and its own advocacy efforts. Mostly recently, produce prescriptions were among the 10 policy recommendations IFPA sent to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission to inform its final report.
“Produce prescriptions represent the most significant opportunity in decades to increase consumption,” said IFPA Vice President of Nutrition and Health Mollie Van Lieu. “IFPA has long worked to advance produce prescriptions, and seeing this legislation bring them to the national stage is incredibly exciting. Senator Durbin and Representatives Buchanan and Pingree have understood the vision from the beginning, recognizing the impact produce prescription programs can have on health outcomes by positioning fruits and vegetables as a standard part of healthcare.”
In 2023, the Rockefeller Foundation announced its partnership with the Veterans Health Administration to launch pilot projects for veterans in Texas and Utah, expanding the program last year due to its widespread popularity. Furthermore, last year, Tufts University consumer research found that more than half of survey respondents would try a produce prescription if it was offered through healthcare providers. Among those with food and nutrition insecurity threats, interest in produce prescriptions rose to nearly 70 percent.
Momentum for produce prescriptions continues to grow on Capitol Hill. Earlier this month, the House of Representatives included $15 million for maternal produce prescription programs in the FY2026 Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations bill, directing funding to community-based organizations serving pregnant women.
IFPA is mobilizing grassroots support, urging members of Congress to cosponsor the Produce Prescription for Veterans Act and move it forward.
